"It wasn't just serving on a committee where you are in a meeting that doesn't really end up going anywhere," she said. "You could actually possibly contribute to a positive outcome."

Young is one of two citizen members on the board. The other is a Milwaukee pastor. Other members include representatives of the state corrections and justice departments, a district attorney, a public defender and the governor's legal counsel.

Young serves during her personal time and, other than a mileage reimbursement, is not compensated for the work, which includes long hearing days and hours spent reviewing binders of pardon materials that are inches thick.

Young said candidates go through a lengthy application process and submit criminal complaints, letters of reference and work histories. The state conducts a criminal background check.

"Basically their whole life is in front of us," she said.

Except for a hearing last month that processed misdemeanor applications, applicants appear before the board and answer questions.

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"They are asked to describe the crime that they have committed," Young said. "They are also asked to explain why they would need a pardon and also why they think they deserve it or why the governor should grant a pardon.

"There have been instances in my history, in which the candidate doesn't seem to take responsibility for the crime they committed or they try to say that they didn't do it," she said. "It's not our job to try their case over."

And, Young said, there are cases where a person's story differs completely from the criminal complaint.

"That comes back to their credibility," she said. "You weigh that into the process. Do they appear to be credible?"

Gary Domaika of Rhinelander went before the board in 1998 while seeking a pardon for a 1988 burglary conviction.

"It was actually kind of scary," he said. "They ask you questions like you are an 8-year-old kid who just broke the cookie jar."

But, Domaika said he understands that applicants who want to receive a pardon must answer these questions.

Gov. Jim Doyle has the ultimate say over pardons. Adam Collins, his spokesman, said Doyle takes the board's recommendations seriously.

"The sole authority to grant (a pardon) is with him, but he has never gone against the unanimous recommendation of the board and it's an important piece of (his) consideration," Collins said.

Young said the seriousness of the crime is a big factor in whether the board recommends a pardon.

"If someone sexually assaults their stepchild for years and now they want a pardon because they can't gun hunt, wait a minute here," she said. "What did you do to that child and what did you take from them?"

Young said some applicants were youthful offenders who have truly turned their lives around.

She said some people have tried to deceive the board. She's seen submitted documents that were obviously altered.